Camping trunk



, March 16 1.92s, 1,577,194

J. E. REBOURS CAMPING TRUNK Filed Dec. 29. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 InuenYgv )mcsERcbom-s.

March 16 J. E. REBOURS C-AMPING TRUNK A Filed Dec. 29, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnuemov Judas EIiebouws (Verna Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

J ULES E. REBOURS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CAMPING Application filed December 2 To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JULnsE. REBOURS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Camping Trunks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in camping trunks particularly adapted to be I used with automobiles and it deals particuconstruction of the device which is $0 511 ranged that the various parts may be quicklarly with the type-of trunk which may be dismembered and the separate parts such as the top, frontand ends utilized to form articles of camp furniture such as a table and benches.

The invention pertains especially to the ly and easily puttogether or taken apart .and may be rigidly locked when assembled so that it will be impossible to gain access to the interior without the proper key to fit the locks. The joints between the members are so constructed that a tight connection will be formed which will exclude moisture and dust and will prevent the members from rattling. Novel interlocking means are pro vided and are so arranged that they may be conveniently actuated and no parts are permitted to project from the members in places where they would interfere with the use of said members as articles of furniture. The various parts of the trunk are provided with legs and drawers conveniently located and arranged to fold when not in useand to support the parts as pieces of furniture and the device is provided with various other novel features of construction and arrangement which will more fully app-ear asa clear understanding of the structure is had fromthe following description, reference being had to I the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of atrunk embodying this invention shown in assembled or closed arrangement. I

Fig. 2-is a perspective viewof the'baok l and bottom of thetrunk with the other parts removed.

Fig. is a perspective view of one of the end, members showing the legs attached thereto folded." s

TRUNK.

9, 1924, Serial no; 758,754.

of the device in assembled condition.

:Fig. dis a longitudinal sectional elevation of one end of the same, the section being taken substantially through the center of the device. 7

Fig. 7 is a sectional plan of one end of the same.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing the meansutilized to join the top with any'o-f the vertical members.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing details of the meansof joining-the bottom with the front, and end members.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing a modified means of joining the top with the vertical members, and

Fig. 11..is an enlarged fragmentary section showing a modified means of joining the bottom with the vertical members.

Like reference numerals apply to like parts in all of the figures.

The trunk is composed essentially of a bottom 1, back 2, top 3, front 4, and two end members 5. .The backand bottom are preferably permanently joined although it would be possible to have these two members separable so that, they might be utilized as tended, supportthe members so that they may be used as articles of furniture and when folded they will lie close to the inner surfaces of the members thereby enabling the members to be assembled to form the trunk with considerable space inside it for the storage and transportation of articles such as suit cases, camping equipment or the like. The front 4 which forms the table. is also provided with drawers 9-which are mounted to slide and when moved inward are arranged to fit between the legs 7 when the legs are folded. members 5 or stools are hinged in such a way that they will not readily unfold when the trunk is assembled. Each pair of legs Thelegs 8 of the end is connected by a cross brace 10 and when the member arranged in position to be as scmbled in the trunk the legs which fold upward are behind the cross brace 10 of the legs which fold downward. The weight of the which fold dmvnward will prevent the upward folding legs from unfolding, the cross brace 10 acting as a retainer to hold them in place.

As ameans of joining the members a chan nel ll extends ctnnpletely around the top 3 or bench member and opens downwardly. A similar channel 112 extends across the ends and front of the bottom member opening; upward and a contimiation 1 of this channel extends along the vertical edges of the back 2 opening forivard the front is provided at eaclf of its vertical edges with a channel 14 opening rearward.

The above described channel members are all constructed substantially alike and they are preferably formed of a single piece of sheet metal bent into subs;antially U- shape 15 to form the c annel and thence bent back upon itself as at ll) to extend over the edge of the member to which it attached and is thence bent at right angles and extends over the outside surface of the member as at 17. A packing strip 18 is placed in the bottom of the channel to cushion the edge of the member which is inserted into the channel. This packing strip may be made of sponge. rubber. felt. or any similar substance. The top and bottom edges of the front or table member +1: and all of the edges of the ends or stool members 5 are adapted to enter the channels and tit against the packing 18 therein when the trunk is assembled as hereafter described.

The end members 5 are locked in assembled position by latches l9 fastened to the bottom 1, one near each respective end, which are adapted to engage the lips or dctents 20 fastened to and iu'ojecting from the said ends 5. The top or bench member 3 is held in place by fastoning it to the end members by key actuated locks 21. adapted to engage the detcnts 2:2 extending from the end members near their upper edges. The locks 21 extend through the top member and are substantially lush with the outer sur face thereof and have key slots for the insertion of keys L3 by which they are actuated. The front member -11 is retained in place by rearwzn'dly extending prongs 24; at its lower edge which lie within the channels 12 and are engaged by the lower edges of the rcspectiveei'ul members the said lower edges of the end members being notched at 25 to receive the said prone-s.

In practice the connected bottom and back members 1 and are usually fastened permanently to the automobile preferably to a rack upon. the back thereof or they might be attached to one of the running boards.

it is not intended to use the back and bottom as articles of furniture although it is obvious that they also might be separable and provided with legs adapting them to be converted into additional tables or benches. ln assel'nbling the trunk the front member with the legs foh'led is first placed with its lower edge in the channel 12 at the front edge of the bottom member. In this position the prongs 24; are extended a short distance into the end channels 12 at the ends of the bottom members and the end members :3 with the legs folded are next placed in assembled position with their vertical edges in the respective channels 13 and 1 t and their bottom edges in the end channels 12, the bottom edges engaging the prongs ill at the notched portions 25pafter these parts have been assembled the latches 19 are turned by reaching into the trunk from the open top so that they engage the detents .20 on the ends 5. These latches afford a connection between the ends and the bottom and as the ends overlap the prongs Q-l: which extend from the front member l the front member is also retained. and connected with the bottom.

The trunk is now in condition to receive such articles of camp equipment or luggage as are desired to be carried in it these being entered through the open top of the trunk. After the trunk is packed the top member 3,

which has the channel 11 extending entirely around its edge and opening downwardly is placed in a position with the top edges of the back, front and end members entering the said channel 11 and the locks 21 are turned by means of a key 23 detents on the end members which holds the top in place. When the top is in place all of the vertical members are rigidly held from spreading and the entire assembly is tightly closed to the exclusion of dust or n'ioisture and cannot be opened without turning the locks 21 to release the top.

It will be noted that all of the channels and fastening means are so located-on their respective members that they will not interfere in any ay with the use otthese men'ibers as articles of furniture. There are no parts projecting fron'rthe surfaces of the members which are so used. Furthermore the absence of exterior connecting or fastening means affords a trunk of exceeding neatness and pleasing appearance. The fact that the only fastening means exposed when the trunk closed and lockedbeing the key slotted surfaceof the locks 21 which makes it practically impossible to tamper with any of the fastening means or to open the trunk without the proper key tofit the locks.

The modified; means which connect the edges of the members illustrated in Figs. 10 and ll enables dust and water tight joints to engage the to be made without the use of thepacking strip 18described in the preferred structure. In both of these fastening means the edges of the vertical members such as the front 4 are provided with grooves 26. In

the structure shown in Fig. 10, which isv intended to be used as a connection between the top 3 and the vertical members, a tongue 27 is provided to enter the groove 26 and the connecting means and locking devices.

These are extremely efiicacious in producing a tight but easily disconnected joint the case is not defaced by unsightly exterior connecting devices and the surfaces of the dlfi'erent members are unobstructed for use;

I claim:

1. A camping trunk having, separable top, bottom and vertical sides, means for connecting all of said separable members, excepting one, to each other at the inside of the device and means for locking the said one member onto the other members from the outside of the device.

2. A' camping trunk comprising, a bottom and vertical back member permanently joined together, a top and vertical front and end members separable from the bottom and back members and from each other, means for fastening the front and end members to the bottom member at the insideof the device, and means. for fastening the top member over the vertical members operable from the outside of the device.

3. A camping trunk having, a bottom,

top, ends and frontmembers which are separable from each other, means for fastening the end members to the bottom at the inside of the device, interengaging means on the said front and end members to hold the front to the bottom, and means upon the top member actuated by a key from the outside of the device to lock the top to the sides. r j

4. A camping trunk having, a bottom,

ends, front and top, separable from each other and adapted to be used as articles of furniture, extensions upon the front engaged by the end members when assembled to retain the front in position, latches upon the bottom to engage the end members when assembled to fasten them to the bottom, and key actuated looks upon the top member to fasten the same to the end members when assembled.

5. A camping trunk comprising, a bottom and vertical back permanently fastened to gether, end, front and top members separable from the bottom and back and from each other, interengaging joining means at the separable. edges of said members, extensions .on the front member engaged by the end members when assembled to retain the front member in position, latches upon the interior of the device to connect the end members with the bottom, and locks, key actuated from the outside of the device, to fasten the top to theend members.

' 6. A camping trunk comprising, a bottom and vertical back permanently fastened t0- gether and separable top, front and end members, channels upon the vertical edges of the back and upon the end and front edges of the bottom, channels upon the vertical edges of the front and channels upon the four edges of the top, said channels being adapted to receive edges of the various members when the device is assembled, extensions on the front engaged by the ends when assembled to retain the front in position, latches at the inside of the device to fasten the ends of the bottom, and locks, key actuated from the outside of the device to fasten the top to the ends. 7

7. A camping trunk comprising, a bottom and vertical backpermanently fastened together and separable top, front and end members, channels upon the vertical edges of the back and upon the end and front edges of the bottom, channels upon the verti-cal edges of the front and channels upon the four edges of the top, said channels'being adapted to receive edges of the various members when the device is assembled, and means for detachably fastening said separable members to the back and bottom and to each other to form a trunk.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

JULES E. nEBoURs. 

